Which is Better: Empty or Broken?
by AWistfulDreamer
Summary: Amu left with Ikuto years ago, leaving everyone sad and empty. But no one was as empty as Ami, who watched it all happen & tried to stop her sister. Now that Amu and Ikuto are back, what chaos will their return cause? rated M, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

First attempt at writing a Shugo Chara fanfic, so please be kind.

**Disclaimer:** Only the words that you are reading belong to me. Characters need not apply.

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><p>I stirred from my sleep, barely registering the muffled voices that I recognized belonged to my parents'. I rolled around on my bed and looked to see what time it was; almost twelve o'clock. <em>What could they possibly being doing down there?<em>

Still a little groggy, I managed to get myself up and put on my favorite pair of fuzzy slippers. As I made my way downstairs, I noticed that the kitchen light was on. Figuering that they were just having a midnight snack, I decided to join them. As I got closer, I could hear my parents voices. They were talking to someone.

"-still can't believe it. After all these years... We thought..." My mom said. She sounded like she was crying. Why was she crying?

"It's okay, Honey..." Dad whispered, trying to comfort her. Why was he trying to comfort her?

"I'm sorry." said a voice. It was a males voice, smooth and cool. There was only one person I knew that talked like that. But it couldn't be...

"No, no, it's , you both had your reasons." Both? "All that matters is that you two are safe. " Said my dad, his deep voice almost boucing off the walls.

"That's right. Let's just forget about the past and talk about the present. So, what did you two do during your little 'vacation', hmm?" No way.

"Mom... Dad..." a voice said.

I stopped, the memories of that night rushing back to me.

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><p><em>The night she left, I had been up late, cramming for a spelling test that I was suppose to take the following morning at school.<em>

_What had made look up from my spelling book was the slight bang of the front door. Who would be up at this hour? I wondered._

_ Not knowing any better, I decided to take a look downstairs. I crept down the stairs quietly, careful not to wake my parents and sister. Once I got downstairs, I tip-toed to nearest window, the one in the living room. I swept the curtain to the side, straining my eyes. In the snow, I could shadily make out two people. One tall, having the structure of a male, the other one short and feminine. They both had small bags with them. Their mouths were moving; as quietly as I could, I slightly cracked the window open, just enough so that I could hear the wisps of a conversation. The two voices sounded familiar, yet over the stormy winds and the loud snores I could hear coming from my parents' room, I could barely hear them._

_"-enough money for us-"_

_"...Me, too."_

_"Do you have everything you need?"_

_"Mhm."_

_"-you sure?"_

_"yes."_

_It sounded like Nee-chan and that Ikuto-nii that was always coming through her veranda. What were they doing talking so late?_

_"are...-regret it?_

_"I'm... -take me away."_

_Wait... what?_

_"Take me away"? What did she mean by that? She couldn't have possibly been going away, right? Otherwise Mama and Papa would have told me that Nee-chan was going away. So why was she saying that?_

_Then it hit me. _

_How could I have been so stupid? _

_Two lovers, meeting up in the middle of the night, with bags packed and ready with everything that they would possibly need._

_They were leaving._

_Together._

_I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized that they weren't there anymore. I grabbed my coat and ran. I ran out of the house, not even caring if I banged the door on my way out. There was only one thing on my mind: stop her._

_I had run a few blocks when I finally saw them. They were holding hands, shielded from the snow by an umbrella. On the other hand, they each had a suitcase._

_"Nee-chan!" I shouted. "Nee-chan!"_

_She paused for a moment, but continued on walking. I yelled._

_"Nee-chan! Amu nee-chan!" Tears were streaming down my face. Why wasn't she turning around? Surely she had heard me. Taking a deep breathe, I made one last attempt._

_"AMU NEE-CHAN!"_

_She stopped. I smiled. She had finally heard me!_

_She turned her head around.__ She wasn't crying, like I had expected her to. __She was smiling. _

_But I had never seen her smile like this before._

_Her smile showed genuine happiness and affection. It was the smile of a maiden in love, running away with her beloved._

_It was a smile that showed no regret._

_She turned away and continued to walk away._

_And I could only stand there, watching as her small back grew farther and farther away until finally, it was gone._

_Unable to move, I stayed there. I was shocked for a few minutes, until the bitter night air brought me back to the cold and cruel reality. The most important person in my life had just walked out on me. On us. On her family and friends._

_My heart shattered._

_But I shed no tears._

_Just turned on my heel and went home._

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><p>Reviews would be appreciated ^^ .<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

When I walked into the kitchen, I saw them; my parents and her, hugging. Their backs were towards me. Ikuto was leaning on the island counter with his arms crossed on his chest, a small smile on his face. I looked back at them, trying my best not to vomit right then and there. They were hugging as if it was one big happy family reunion. But they were missing one person.

Me.

They let go of each other. Ikuto went to Amu's side, and they all started talking and laughing. (Well, Ikuto just stood there, quiet.) When my mom finished laughing, she finally noticed me. She tapped my dad on the arm and whispered something into his ear. He looked at me, and then back at Amu. He pointed towards me; she turned around.

It had been 4 years since I had last seen my sister, and she was what, 17 now? In a way, she had changed; there was a moe adult air around her, something I imagined she had gotten from being around Ikuto for so long. But even so, I knew she wasn't all that different. She was still beautiful, with those round honey-gold eyes of hers. She had even managed to retain that 'Cool & Spicy' look of hers. The only major difference I noticed about her was her bubble-gum pink hair, which was almost down to her waist how. Apart from that, she was still the same old sister I had grown to love.

Well,_ loved_.

"Ami..." She whispered. A tear trickled down from her eyes. _Give me a break._ Slowly walking towards me, she stared at me. I wonder what she saw. Did she see the same girl who used to follow her every move? Or the same little girl that dressed in only pink and pretended to be a princess? The little girl who always asked her for help on her homework?Maybe she saw the 9 year old me, who she knew had seen her leave, and hadn't even said goodbye to.

Or maybe she saw the mask that I'd learned to master after she had left.

"Oh my God... It really is you Ami..!" She hugged me, but I didn't hug back. I just stared ahead with cool eyes. "Oh, Ami! You don't know how much I've missed you!" Of course I don't know. Because-

"You haven't been around to tell me."Shit. There was a crack on my mask.

She let go, and stepped back a few inches. In her eyes there was a mixture of shock and guilt. The air in the room was cold.

I looked at my parents, wanting to see their shocked faces. And they were there. Did they not expect cute little Ami to say that? Even Ikuto was shocked by my statement, though not enough to actually show it on his face. Too bad.  
>"Yes... well, about that.." Ikuto had now moved next to Amu, both of their heads down.<p>

_Good._

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>"Pfft..."<p>Wondering who that was, I raised my head. Ami was giggling, her bangs blocking her face. From the back, I heard my mom say, "Ami...?"<p>

Ami raised her head, and I was suprised to see that she burst out laughing.

"Ahahaha! Gosh, you guys should've seen your faces! It was priceless." she finished, wiping a small tear from her eyes. The air in the room suddenly turned warm. I smiled.

"Ami..."She looked at me, smiling lovingly. She still had that cute, angelic smile. When she first walked into the room, I coudn't even recognize her! She looked entirely different. I knew that by now, she was the same age as when I left, 12. But she looked so... grown up. She had grown out of her baby-ish features, and in a way, it suited her. Her light brown hair was now a little past her shoulder blades, and had traces of dirty blonde mixed in it. It was still naturrally curled to perfection. I'd always been jealous of her for that. She had grown taller now, taller than me! And, while I hate to admit this, she even had a better figure than me. And she was still growing! Why was God so unfair?

Suddenly I was scared. It had only been 5 years, and she had grown up this much! What if she wasn't the same? What if she forgot about me?

"-chan. Nee-chan!" I was brought back from my thoughts and saw Ami waving her hand infront of my face. She was talking to Ikuto. "Geez, is she always like this? You'd think that after five years she would stop being such an airhead." Ikuto and my parents snickered.

"Hey!" I yelled, feeling my face grow red.

"Ah. Look who finally came back down to earth." I heard my mom say. Geez, the first time in years that I had seen them, and this was how they were treating me?

"Well," my dad yawned, "It's late. Why don't we all go to bed, and we'll talk again tomarrow. Sound like a plan?"

"Sounds like a plan!" We all yelled. Except for Ikuto, but I knew that he agreed. My parents went upstairs. Then Ami, Ikuto and I following in suit. She told me that my room had been left untouched since I had left, and that we could sleep there. Me, the older sister, being instructed on what to do by my younger sister. Oh, the irony.

Just as me and Ikuto were about to head into my room, I heard Ami call my name. I turned around.

"Welcome back, nee-chan." She smiled and went into her room.

A tear welled up in my eye, and I had to quietly breathe in and out to stop myself from crying like a baby.

_I'm back._


End file.
